BOAT JOURNEY l\TO IXGLEFIELD GULF 1 95 



full twenty miles to the south. The i^ulf was full of great 

 bergs and masses of hard blue iee, the outflow from the gla- 

 ciers, through the mazes of which we were obliged to pick 

 our way ; yet they were our friends, for they kept the w^ater 

 smooth in spite of the raging wind, and gave us now and then 

 a shelter, behind which we could stop for a few moments and 

 catch our breath before striking out again into the furious 

 blast. Fortunately, the wind was partly in our favor ; in 

 spite of our tortuous course we made rapid progress, and in 

 four hours were abreast of the group of islands down in the 

 southeast corner of the gulf, which we had visited in April 

 during our sledge trip. From here to Tawanah's igloo at 

 the month of the bay was the critical part of our voyage. 

 This distance was entirely free of ice, and though only five or 

 six miles in width, the force of the wind was such that the 

 whitecaps were rushing madly across it as we came out from 

 under the shelter of the islands. With just a bit of the fore- 

 sail up to enable the boat to run away from the waves, and 

 two oars ready to be dropped instantly into the rowlocks, in 

 case of necessity, we dashed madly along, with every now and 

 then the top of a wave coming in over the stern of the boat, 

 and striking Mr. Peary and myself in the back with a resound- 

 ing whack. More than once my teeth involuntarily closed 

 more firmly as I saw a mad white crest rushing dow^n upon 

 us, but our little craft rode the waves like a duck, and we 

 finally shot under the lee of the point at Tawanah's igloo. 

 As the boat sped along through the placid water and the sail 



